How Much Does A Google Maps Listing Cost?

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Businesses targeting geographical areas benefit greatly from a listing in Google Maps or Google Places, which has morphed into Google Plus. Many businesses I have worked with have received phone calls from people saying they are “with Google” and their Google listing will expire if they don’t renew, or that they are not listed in Google at all. So how much does a Google maps listing cost? Should you reach for your credit card to pay Google $400 for a listing?

Getting listed in Google Maps is free. Any business can create their listing in Google and it will never expire. The people who claim they are “with Google” don’t really work for Google at all. (If you can get anyone on the phone from Google that’s not in their Adwords department, pat yourself on the back!). They are independent companies attempting to sell a service, but intentionally lead you to believe they are part of Google. They may have some certification from Google, such as an Adwords certified reseller, but they are separate entities.

A client of mine called me and asked if he could conference me into a call he received from somebody claiming to be “with Google”. The person on the line said my client wasn’t listed in Google Maps and he could fix that for $400. When I asked him if he worked for Google, he said he was “with Google”. I asked him again if he worked directly for Google or another company and he finally said he worked for a company other than Google.

I have received many calls from clients after they have been contacted by companies claiming to be “with Google” trying to convince them to pay up to $400 to get listed in Google, even when my clients had active Google Maps listings on the top of page 1 for their target keywords. Fortunately, my clients knew to call me before forking over their hard earned money.

If you are working with an SEO agency, a Google Maps listing should be included with a local SEO package. If you are doing it alone or don’t have the budget for organic search rankings and traffic to your website, create the listing yourself. It only takes 15 minutes. Be sure to include all the relevant contact information exactly as it appears on your website.

I trust this post has saved you some money. To get a Free SEO checkup for your website Contact Us today or call 678-520-9925.